Is it OKAY to use a "FILTER" on your inventory photos?

[Jeff Kershner]

Here's something that I trying to gather my opinion on -- is it OKAY to use a "FILTER" on your photos??

Take a look at these photos fat Desert European MotorCars. Don't get me wrong, they do an amazing job but it's pretty obvious they're using a filter for their exterior shots.

Could this be misleading to the consumer?
Overselling?

 

[BHavican]

I think they did a great job with these photos. If it's in pristine condition like I'm assuming this Jeep is, I don't see anything wrong with using filters. It's no different than what the OEMs do in their advertisements for new cars. I think you run into problems however if you use filters to hide issues with the condition.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Filters on the camera...excellent! Using a circular polarizer is a great idea.

Filters in Photoshop (or any photo editing app)...maybe. If you know what you're doing they can go a long way. If you don't then it becomes overly obvious you've manipulated things and that's a turn-off.

I adjust the varying contrast levels and white balance for over 90% of the images I post process. Easier said than done, but I'd love to have been able to post-process each of our inventory photos to get the images to look as best they can. Most of us are selling someone on visiting the dealership; not selling the car on the photos. Get 'em in the door with off the charts photographs! Let sales people sell cars.

 

[TomLaPointe]

black is hardest color to shoot, and it came out pretty good considering midday sun. DOES look like they oversharpened the crap out of it with software - probably made a decent photo worse. here are a few black ones i did in years past

 

[mikesayre]

I prefer filtering images, a good even balance seems to work best. Those wrangler photos are ok to me, but it better be everything I'm thinking it is when I show up.

Setting the stage area is important to try and maintain consistency with your environment. That way you can create different filters for different lighting levels inside, or type of days outside, different colors, etc. Having a staging area is especially important in stores with high volume. If you have to go out on the lot, move cars out of their spots in the aisle, shoot them one by one, the photos will be too inconsistent to have a broad filter.

I found this photo on google images, bad day and background, grey and silver cars are hard to shoot, here's 2 filtering examples:

Original unedited photo: Dreary, but it is what it is, another rental car.

--
Bad filtering photo: Looks so fake customers won't believe anything about this car.

--
Just right filtered photo: It looks like a nice car.

 

[Chris Leslie]

@Jeff Kershner Those pics of the Jeep look they are in HDR. Not so much a filter as much as a style. I dont see anything wrong with it.
I think if someone has the time to do it go for it I say.. I mean anything we can do within reason to get a bit of an edge is good with me.

Plus it makes those pics look really Professional. The pics we are used to are not Professional Photography. Point and shoot at best. Professional would take in to consideration lighting and other factors.

BTW, what say you Jeff?

 

[miker1]

I understand the point of using filters is to make the inventory look nice but I have never used a filter on inventory photos. There are three things that I chose to focus on in order to take quality inventory photos.

1. Background (shouldn't be distracting)
2. Lighting (shoot in the proper lighting)
3. Attention to Details (don't have papers or other keys in the pictures, center whatever is the focus of the picture, position to the driver and passenger front seats evenly and not tilted way back, etc)

I've always felt that focusing on the above three areas eliminates the need for filters.

 

[joe.webb]

Using filters is absolutely fine, within reason. Heck, I'd almost say nowadays, it is preferred. Put your inventory in the best possible light, so long as it is realistic.

 

[Alexander Lau]

Didn't catch this a while back. There are plenty of groups that use HDR on their inventory photos.

The real estate biz notoriously uses HDR to buff up awful, crappy properties, in the hope that a potential buyer thinks differently against reality. Same could be said of the car world.

 

[TomLaPointe]

Didn't catch this a while back. There are plenty of groups that use HDR on their inventory photos.

The real estate biz notoriously uses HDR to buff up awful, crappy properties, in the hope that a potential buyer thinks differently against reality. Same could be said of the car world.

i think HDR is fine; makes up for not having good lighting. too much editing can make a vehicle deceptive.